Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-10-21
COUPON CANDIDATES.

TED TO come en- maSSo.
COUPON CANDIDATES.
It is a law, an unwritten law if you
please, but still law, that no man Of
either political party, Democratic or Re
publican-and there are many Of both
who do it-can be elected to public
office if he tenders coupons for his taxes.
It is garment that doesn It sit gracefully
on the private citizen; but it is a shirt of
Nessus to the man who aspires to office.
The people, when you take them in the
mass, have an instructive judgment that
puts all the theories and sophistries Of the
politicians to shame. They may not know
the clause and section Of the laws; they
Virginia sovereignty fades out and the
line of Federal power becomes distinct,
but they know by instinct what is the
duty towards each other of all the people
of Virginia-to each other and to their
State They know by that fine sense of
fairness that finds its home in even the
humblest heart, that where men have
combined together to support and main
tain State, all enjoying its privileges
alike, it is not the fair thing for one man
who enjoys all the protection and benefits
the State gives others, to shirk his share
of the expense and let it fall on others.
They know that 1T isn't bearing his share
of the burden to buy coupons at fifty cents
in the dollar and tender them for his share
Of the expense of government, while the
others are paying the State in cash dollar
for dollar. One Of these men is not keep
ing his obligations with the State Or his
fellow citizens, and the people know, with
out any legal opinion from the bench TO in
form them, which man it is. 1t is wrong
out of which grow other and great WRONGS
to the whole State.
The years from 1875 to 1882 are not SO
far back that we cannot remember the
condition that the coupon business
brought the schools, the asylums and al
most the State government itself to. In
the schools-teaehers not paid. the scholars
falling off in number. and the school sys-
tern going to ruin. In the asylums-no
2nolloy TO pay running expenses, the jalls
full of lunatics. suffering ard want among
the helpless class in question and no
way to remedy it. This for the use OF
coupons. Now look at it since 1888. In
the Asylums-plenty of money for these
these charitable institutions, a new asy-
lum built and equipped, lunatics removed
from the jails. For the schools teachers
paid, schools increased Is per cent, school
houses built, children at school again.
back debt to the school fund paid, and
everything going we'll. This, because the
people would not tender coupons. For,
mark you. at any time since the Riddle
berger bill was passed taxes might have
been paid in coupons-that bill provided
that they might be SO paid On proof of
genuineness; but the people seeing their
debt reduced to what they thought right
were In earnest in standing by the settle
ment, and paid their taxes--as they expec-
ted the interest to be paid the creditor, and
as they expected everything else to be paid
lin money. So you see it is all in the
coupons after all. And so you further see
the tax payer who tenders them low is
simply helping to bring the times of '76 49,
back on the people, while he in the mean
time pays bis taxes at half price and pays
- holders instead Of the
Il In other words he pays his state
nothing
We have said that no tenderer of coupons
be he Republican OR Democrat can be cleo
ted in Augusta county to any office. He
can by flying in the face OF the law es-
cape paying the State ard save himself
half his taxes-but the people are deter
mined that having gotten that far he shall
stop. And when he is up for political
Office. to make or execute the laws OF Viz
ginia, he has fallen into the hands of that
same people and they will make their word
good. They will make it good in the case
of Mr.. Craig who is the Republican nomi-
nee for the House. He not only tenders
coupons for his taxes but was among the
first that rendered them on the first day
that they were rendered. He set an ex-
ample, and the people who have TO bear the
burden of supporting this Commonwealth
will make an example of him. Mr.. Craig is
already as good as defeated.
-0>~<>%s>e>
The Malone Republican legislature of
1882 passed a bill. whic b became law by
the signature of the Republican Governor
Cameron, appropriating SIO2.32O to
the University of Virginia and $4,000
to the Virginia Military Institute. and
Col. W. E. Craig gets up here in Staun-
ton, Saturday week. and makes a speech
denouncing the Democratic legislature
for voting appropriations to those institu-
tions to educate rich mems sons.n That
is the sort Of fapdoodle the Republican
orators feed their Augusta audiences Oh,
,araho hlu 1lndar tho halief tn I hon houor, q